Statement of Community Consultation

Transcription

1 Statement of Community Consultation

2 PROPOSED OFFSHORE WINDFARM How to have your say on East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm Prepared and published in accordance with Section 47 of the Planning Act Introduction 1. ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) is pleased to commence the statutory consultation for the East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm. 2. SPR is responsible for progressing offshore windfarms throughout the world and onshore wind and marine energy projects in the UK. It is currently progressing the construction of the 102-turbine East Anglia ONE offshore windfarm approximately 43km off the coast of Suffolk. This 2.5 billion project is planned to deliver energy to meet the annual demand of around 600,000 1 homes and should be fully operational during This project will be followed by the 1,200MW East Anglia THREE windfarm which received development consent in summer Building on these first two East Anglia projects, SPR is now seeking to progress development of the proposed East Anglia ONE North and East Anglia TWO projects. As with the East Anglia ONE and East Anglia THREE offshore windfarm projects, consultation with local communities will play a major part in shaping East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North. Like East Anglia ONE and East Anglia THREE in their early stages East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North will be developed together so that synergies between the projects are explored. This is further explained in section 3. 2 The Purpose of Community Consultation 4. The aim of this SoCC is to explain how SPR intends to consult with local communities on the proposed offshore windfarm project known as the East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm ( East Anglia TWO ) as required under the Planning Act It details the opportunities available to come and meet us, to ask questions and to comment on the plans for the project. 5. Before submitting the application for East Anglia TWO, SPR will also consult statutory and non-statutory consultees. Statutory consultees are those organisations/persons with whom SPR have a legal requirement to consult (such as Natural England and the Marine Management Organisation). Non-statutory consultees are anyone else who has or may have an interest in the proposed development (such as local interest groups). 1 Calculated taking the number of megawatts (714) multiplied by the number of hours in one year (8,766), multiplied by the average load factor for offshore wind (36.7 %, published by the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics), divided by the average annual household energy consumption (3,900 kwh), giving an equivalent of powering 588,981 homes. Page 2

3 6. To consult with local communities, Public Information Days will be held locally where this SoCC will be available to view and where members of the SPR project team will be on hand to discuss the proposals and answer questions about the project. Details of these events are provided in the table below. Area Venue Date Time Lowestoft Victoria Hotel 17 March am 1pm Southwold Stella Peskett Hall 17 March pm 6pm Leiston United Church 18 March am 1pm Thorpeness Thorpeness Country Club 24 March am 1pm Aldeburgh The Jubilee Hall 24 March pm 6pm Orford Town Hall 25 March am 1pm 7. SPR welcome any feedback on the plans and look forward to discussing them with you. All consultation feedback will be logged and responded to. 3 Proposal 8. The East Anglia TWO windfarm site (see Figure 1) is approximately 255km 2 in area. At its nearest point, the East Anglia TWO windfarm sits around 31km from Lowestoft and 32km from Southwold. 9. Within the East Anglia TWO windfarm site it is proposed that up to 75 wind turbines and an overall installed capacity of up to 900MW would be constructed. When operational the project would have the potential to provide up to 740,000 2 homes with power. From the wind turbines electricity would flow via subsea inter-array cables to a number of offshore electrical platforms and then to the shore via offshore export cables. 10. Offshore export cables will connect the offshore electrical platforms within the proposed East Anglia TWO windfarm site to shore, making landfall between Sizewell and Thorpeness in Suffolk. 11. Once the offshore export cables reach the shore they will be joined to onshore cables via a transition bay near the point of landfall and then to a new onshore substation. From this substation the proposed East Anglia TWO project will then be connected into the transmission network via a new substation owned and operated by National Grid. In addition, there may be a requirement to upgrade the existing infrastructure to allow for connection to the transmission network. 12. The following elements will be consented as part of the East Anglia TWO windfarm: Up to 75 offshore wind turbines; Subsea inter-array cables; Offshore electrical platforms; Offshore export cables; 2 Calculated taking the number of megawatts (900) multiplied by the number of hours in one year (8,766), multiplied by the average load factor for offshore wind (36.7 %, published by the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics), divided by the average annual household energy consumption (3,900 kwh), giving an equivalent of powering 742,413 homes. Page 3

4 Onshore transition bay; Onshore cable ducts, cable jointing bays and cables; Onshore substation; New onshore infrastructure (including the new substation and potentially an upgrade to existing pylons) to connect to the existing electricity transmission network, which will be owned and operated by National Grid. 13. Onshore, given partial location within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), SPR is committed to undergrounding the cables with the benefit of avoiding landscape and visual impacts associated with overhead lines. Furthermore, SPR is committed to exploring synergies between East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North in the same manner as for East Anglia ONE and East Anglia THREE by proposing, where possible, and subject to regulatory certainty, to install additional ducting for the East Anglia ONE North windfarm onshore electrical cables during the East Anglia TWO windfarm construction. This would reduce the construction impacts for East Anglia ONE North. 14. SPR has identified an Onshore Study Area (which covers both East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North) through initial constraints and feasibility studies, within which the above infrastructure could be located (see Figure 3 below). It includes land between Sizewell and Thorpeness at the landfall and extends inland approximately 7km, to the north of Friston 15. The consent application for East Anglia TWO will include all of the new elements described above (including the associated National Grid infrastructure). In addition, temporary works and ancillary infrastructure necessary for the construction and operation of the project, such as temporary construction areas onshore, and accommodation platforms offshore shall be included. 16. A map showing the location of East Anglia TWO in relation to the other consented and proposed East Anglia projects is shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 SPR East Anglia portfolio Page 4

5 4 The Planning Process 17. East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm is a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) and therefore SPR is required to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO). 18. SPR intends to submit a DCO application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) who will consider a number of factors in their decision making, including the impacts on the local area, compliance with National Planning Policy as set out in National Planning Policy Statements and who must be satisfied that SPR has carried out sufficient pre-application consultation with statutory consultees and local communities under consultation requirements found in sections 42 and 47 of the Planning Act Once the application is accepted for examination, PINS will co-ordinate the examination of SPR s application with an Examining Authority panel. The Examining Authority will make a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) who will then make a decision on whether to grant the DCO. 20. Following the advertisement of its SoCC, East Anglia TWO will progress through the development phase. Further information on the Planning Process can be found on the PINs website specifically in Advice Note Who SPR Will Consult 21. The consultation will be open to anyone who may feel directly or indirectly impacted by the proposal to build a new offshore windfarm and the associated onshore cable route, substation and associated infrastructure. SPR will consult with individuals and communities living within the vicinity of the land affected by the DCO application, or who have taken an active interest in East Anglia TWO. 22. The Geographical Area of Engagement has been influenced by three factors: 1. The Onshore Consultation Zone: This has been determined by defining the Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV), shown in Figure 2 below. This output of computer modelling identifies where it is theoretically possible to see the offshore wind turbines from, in very good or excellent visibility conditions; as well as communities within the Onshore Study Area. 3 Page 5

6 Figure 2 Onshore Consultation Zone Page 6

7 2. The Onshore Study Area: This is the area within which onshore infrastructure, for East Anglia TWO, East Anglia ONE North and National Grid would be placed, shown in Figure 3. This is currently an area of search and the forthcoming months will refine the development area and locations of the substation, landfall and onshore cable corridor. This is a key function of the consultation process. Figure 3 Onshore Study Area 3. The Offshore Consultation Zone: shows the proposed development boundary for East Anglia TWO and the Offshore Consultation Zone, as shown in Figure 4. This is the area within which offshore infrastructure will be placed. Page 7

8 Figure 4 Offshore Consultation Zone 23. The consultation will include relevant Parish and Town Councils, area committees, community groups, organisations representing the local business communities and tourist boards, and SPR is seeking input from the Local Planning Authority to identify these. 24. As well as community consultation, SPR will be discussing East Anglia TWO with a range of statutory and non-statutory consultees including: Local Authorities; Owners, tenants and occupiers of the land affected by the DCO application; Commercial stakeholders (including land owners and the fishing industry via our Commercial Fisheries Working Group); and Environmental bodies. 25. This SoCC will be made available to view at the following locations from 6 th March 2018 to 3 rd April Page 8

9 Southwold Town Council Aldeburgh Town Council Orford Town Council Aldringham cum Thorpe Parish Council Leiston Town Council Lowestoft Library Southwold Library Great Yarmouth Borough Council Great Yarmouth Central Library Friston Parish Council Aldeburgh Library The Village Store Kessingland Kessingland Library Saxmundham Library Martins Saxmundam Southwold Post Office SCDC Customer Woodbridge Library Felixstowe Library Felixstowe Town Council 6 What Will SPR Consult On? 26. SPR is seeking comments and suggestions on all aspects of East Anglia TWO by encouraging local communities to provide their views about the proposal and how it may affect their area e.g. environmentally, economically and socially. East Anglia TWO is advertising the commencement of statutory consultation in accordance with section 47 the Planning Act SPR has already started consulting with local communities but statutory consultation (i.e. consultation required by legislation) will begin in March 2018 following advertisement of this SoCC. 28. The Consultation Strategy for East Anglia TWO is focussed around the dual objective of both consulting on the development of the proposed East Anglia TWO project generally and specifically on the refinement of the area of search for onshore infrastructure, the Onshore Study Area (which covers both East Anglia TWO and East Anglia ONE North) for potential locations / constraint to location for the onshore infrastructure and the cable routeing. 29. The consultation has been split into four phases; 6.1 Phase One Consultation (non-statutory i.e. prior to commencement of section 47 consultation) 30. SPR chose to complete a phase of early engagement in the area of search for onshore infrastructure for four main reasons: 1. To introduce East Anglia TWO to new stakeholders; 2. Consult on potential constraints to the locations for onshore infrastructure 3. Explain the Environment Impact Assessment Scoping process; and 4. To introduce the projects to those potentially impacted by the visual aspects of the offshore windfarm. 31. This was completed using the following tools: Telephone calls, briefings, meetings and sharing a leaflet with a wide range of statutory and non-statutory stakeholders: County, Borough, District, Town, Parish Councils; Visit East Anglia and New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership Page 9

10 Public Information Days held locally on 30 th and 31 st October and 1 st and 2 nd November A Summary of Environmental Considerations was produced to support East Anglia TWO in early engagement activities. All the materials presented at this stage are accessible on: Phase Two Consultation (Statutory Consultation Stage 1) 33. SPR is holding a series of Public Information Days in March These will be the first statutory consultation events. Members of the East Anglia TWO project team will be on hand to answer questions and will be collecting peoples views via feedback forms. 34. The March 2018 events will specifically provide further information on the Onshore Study Area within which SPR intend to site the projects onshore electrical infrastructure, the refinement of this study area, and also seek opinions on the viewpoints selected to assess the visual impact of the offshore wind turbines. 35. The March 2018 events will be advertised in the East Anglia Daily Times and the Lowestoft Journal. SPR is providing flyers to Aldringham-cum-Thorpe Parish Council and Knodishall Parish Council for them to promote the events Posters will also be displayed across the ZTV area. SPR will also be seeking to engage the Hard-to Reach audience, which is made up of a number of tourists and second home owners. In order to attract the attention of this audience, the Public Information Days in March 2018 will be held over a weekend at the start of the Easter holidays. 36. Details of the Public Information Days are presented in section 2 of this SoCC. 6.3 Phase Three Consultation (Statutory Consultation Stage 2) 37. The third phase of consultation is scheduled for June SPR will hold Public Information Days in the venues already visited to show the refined development area for onshore infrastructure and update consultees on the proposed development plans generally. This will be complemented by ongoing engagement with statutory and non-statutory bodies including landowners and Parish Councils and ongoing engagement with the Commercial Fisheries Working Group. 39. The refined development area will be shared at the June Public Information Day events and other details of the project will be available to share with consultees. The period between the June Public Information Days and Phase Four Consultation will allow further refinement of the project. 6.4 Phase Four Consultation (Statutory Consultation Stage 3) 40. The fourth phase of consultation will be when SPR will consult on the proposed DCO application for East Anglia TWO pursuant to section 42 of the Planning Act Page 10

11 41. As East Anglia TWO Offshore Windfarm is EIA Development legislation requires that SPR undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to identify likely significant environmental effects of the project. The results of the EIA will be published in an Environmental Statement (ES) that will accompany the DCO application for the proposed project. As part of this pre-application consultation, SPR will publish and consult upon the Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) for the project, essentially a draft ES. Specifically, the PEIR will include details of the preliminary assessment findings, a description of the proposals and baseline environmental information collected (to date). It will identify the potential impacts of the development, including cumulative impacts as relevant, and where necessary will also identify possible measures to reduce, prevent or offset these. These will include information on the scope for any associated land restoration, landscaping and other mitigation measures if required. 42. At this time SPR will directly consult statutory consultees and the prescribed consultation bodies (for example the Marine Management Organisation, Natural England, the Environment Agency), local authorities and landowners. 43. As part of the Phase Four Consultation, SPR will also consult the local communities, wider public and other organisations via rounds of newspaper notices and via publishing the documentation on our website. During this period further Public Information Days will be held to communicate the findings of our environmental assessment process and to communicate our proposed project details. 44. A period for representations to be made on the section 42 consultation documents (including the PEIR) will be provided. SPR will then consider any representations received at Public Information Days or via section 42 responses before finalising the DCO application for submission. 45. Following this final phase of pre-application consultation the DCO will be submitted. When the application is submitted and the EIA/ES is published there will be an opportunity to make representations to PINS. 46. In addition to the Public Information Days outlined above thorough all phases of consultation SPR will provide updates on our websites, via social media channels, and regarding our portfolio of projects via the publishing of our biannual newsletter the East Angle. We will also respond positively to requests for engagement at Parish Council meetings and to present to local interest groups. 47. An integrated summary of activities is shown in Figure 5 below: Page 11

12 East Anglia TWO March 2018 Figure 5 Summary of activities Page 12

13 6.5 Special Events / Targeted Consultation 48. SPR takes consultation very seriously as a scheduled part of the development programme. However, it is acknowledged that there are often consultation opportunities that arise for example engagement with the wider Hard to Reach Groups, including visitors and groups that do not meet frequently. For this reason, the SPR Stakeholder Manager will monitor these opportunities and engage as appropriate. 49. There may also be particular circumstances that arise during pre-application consultation or which are localised in nature and SPR may wish to carry out non-statutory targeted consultation. 7 Responding To Your Comments 50. Following each phase of consultation, SPR will reflect on any feedback to shape and inform the proposals. A Summary of Feedback will be published on the SPR website following each round of consultation. 51. Consultees can respond to the consultation either in person (at Public Information Days) or via or mail (contact details are set out below). 52. Where consultees approach SPR by or mail, SPR will acknowledge the communication within one week. SPR will endeavour to respond to the consultee within one calendar month. 53. All comments and information received by SPR during the consultation will be recorded in a consultation database and be considered by SPR. As part of its DCO application, SPR will provide a Consultation Report to explain how the views received have been incorporated into the East Anglia TWO design process and EIA. If an issue has not resulted in a change to the proposed development, the Consultation Report will explain this. As there may be a large number of responses, the Consultation Report may group comments into broad issues of concern. Please note that all communications will be publicly available however SPR will not share individual s data (although SPR may indicate the general area of that individual s location for context). Page 13

14 8 Contacting SPR 8.1 General Enquiries SPR has a Stakeholder Manager for East Anglia TWO, Joanna Young, who can be contacted: Via eastangliatwo@scottishpower.com Online: Or mail via the Freepost address: ScottishPower Renewables East Anglia TWO RTLY-RLGH-GKSE FREEPOST 25 Priestgate Peterborough PE1 1JL 8.2 Fishing Related Enquiries SPR has a Fishery/Fishing Liaison Officer for East Anglia TWO, who can be contacted: Via Jonathan@brownmay.com Or mail via the address below: Jonathan Kerr East Anglia TWO FLO For and on behalf of ScottishPower Renewables Brown & May Marine Progress Way Mid Suffolk Business Park Eye Suffolk IP23 7HU 8.3 Land Related Enquiries SPR has a Manager responsible for land related issues associated with East Anglia TWO, Gillian Lang, who can be contacted: Via eastanglialand@scottishpower.com Or mail via the address below: Gillian Lang ScottishPower Renewables ScottishPower House 320 St Vincent St Glasgow G2 5AD Page 14

15 ScottishPower Renewables ScottishPower House 320 St Vincent Street Glasgow G2 5AD T eastangliatwo@scottishpower.com Page 15